


To Set Sail With Old Friends

by DesertVixen



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Alternate Universe, Multi, poly au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 21:48:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9680255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertVixen/pseuds/DesertVixen
Summary: A re-imagining of the early days of the 1701-D set in an AU featuring Jean-Luc Picard/Beverly Crusher/Jack Crusher





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [weakinteraction](https://archiveofourown.org/users/weakinteraction/gifts).



“It’s not like Jean-Luc to be late,” Commander Jack Crusher commented as he walked through the Farpoint marketplace with his wife and son. “I hope we aren’t missing anything too exciting.”

“I’m sure there will be plenty of excitement to go around,” Doctor Beverly Crusher said dryly. “It is the Enterprise.”

Jack Crusher grinned. “I guess I’m just eager to get back into space for real.” 

After his recovery from a too-close call nine years earlier, Jack Crusher had been posted to Starfleet Academy. It had kept him Earthbound, but had given him a chance to put his mark on any number of cadets – and had given him the chance to explore being a family man.

He had enjoyed it, but he had missed being in space for longer than a training cruise.

The assignment to the Enterprise-D had been the perfect way to combine both – Jack as first officer, Beverly as chief medical officer, and the ability to bring their teenage son with them. Plus, Jack Crusher  
could hardly refuse a request from his best friend – and the man who had saved his life.

*** 

“So what do you think?” Jean-Luc asked as the two men seated themselves in the captain’s ready room. Beverly had gone to get Wesley settled in the Crusher quarters, and to check the medical facilities.

“I think it’s an incredible ship,” Jack said.

“Yes.” Picard let all the pride he felt in this ship fill his voice. “There are some challenges, of course.”

“Is this the part where you ask me to be the primary liaison to families and children?”

“You know me too well,” Jean-Luc said quietly.

“Does anyone know you better?” Jack responded. There were so many things he wanted to say, to ask. He settled for a safe option. “It’s good to be together again.”

*** 

It was good to be back in space again, Beverly thought as she walked the corridors of the starship. Working at Starfleet Medical had been an enjoyable period of her career, but she had missed the excitement of being on a starship, of never knowing what would come next

She’d had reservations about the Enterprise, but Jack had been so excited by the plum assignment that Beverly couldn’t justify turning it down. On the surface, it was perfect, an assignment that any reasonably ambitious officer would welcome.

She was ambitious enough, but there were other considerations.

The Galaxy-class ships had been built to accommodate families, but it was still somewhat unusual to have a married couple in the same chain of command. Beverly’s position as chief medical officer gave her more independent, as she would answer to the ship’s captain.

It was the relationship they had once shared with the captain that bothered her. The three of them had been very close, until Jack and Jean-Luc had gone up for what had been Jack’s last tour on the Stargazer. She knew that Jack was expecting they would resume that relationship, but she had her doubts. Picard was a great deal more reserved than he had been back in the Stargazer days, and there were a great deal many more people to notice.

She supposed they would have to see what happened. 

A lot could happen on a starship…

*** 

Picard noticed that any number of Enterprise crew members seemed to be avoiding making eye contact with each other. The polywater infection – so similar to the one encountered by Kirk’s Enterprise – had certainly been an interesting incident to have so early in a mission, when people were still learning how to deal with each other.

To suddenly have one’s hidden thoughts exposed, to have one’s inhibitions stripped away – thankfully they had been able to find an antidote before the situation had degraded past the point of no return. Dr. Crusher had sent around a communication to the crew that had explained the situation in dry technical terms, terms that Picard thought might help everyone put it behind them.

Except for himself. Picard kept remembering being in the doctor’s office while Jack and the chief engineer struggled to get back control of Engineering, how he had been almost unable to resist Beverly Crusher’s numerous charms.

More than that, he kept remembering the days when he had not resisted her charms – or Jack’s. Once upon a time, they had enjoyed that passion, and he hadn’t cared who knew about it. 

Things were different now. He couldn’t afford to be seen to favor the two of them above other members of the crew for anything other than professional courtesy. The last thing Jean-Luc Picard wanted was the perception that his two friends had their position because they were friends – and more.

But oh, he wanted the more, wanted to relax back into that easy camaraderie and acceptance and warmth. 

He wanted it very badly.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like it.  
> So it's still kind of tentative but I can't see Picard falling RIGHT into it...
> 
> Based on Encounter at Farpoint and Naked Now.


End file.
